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3 films from the 2010 DOXA Connexions Youth Forum

A few weeks back, we wrote about the DOXA Connexions Youth Forum with a promise to follow up when the participants’ films were completed. Well! The films are now all online.

Without further ado, here are the first 3 films along with a brief bio and description by the filmmaker:

C is for Choice

Emily Newton is a 22-year-old Vancouverite and a recent graduate from Queen’s University’s Film and Media Program. Emily has traveled around Canada and Australia making documentaries focusing on social and environmental issues.

For my short film, C is for Choice, I created a documentary paralleling the lives of two young girls suffering from life threatening diseases. I tried to compare and contrast their outlooks on life as one girl (Rachel) has been sick her whole life suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, and the other (Alex) just recently was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout the film I express their positive attitudes hoping to inspire others to live a happy and full life regardless of personal barriers. I found it very challenging to make such a complex story fit into 90 seconds, however a valued and interesting experience.

The week as a whole has given me a revived love and hope for film. Watching the featured films in DOXA and hearing the directors speak has re-inspired me to do what I love, telling stories. I feel as though I got so caught up in University surrounded by film makers producing dramas that I forgot how much I love documentary. I have realized this week that if documentary film is truly my passion, then I will make it one step at a time.

Meet Patrick

25-year-old Kerry Blackadar is currently completing her Masters in Journalism at the University of British Columbia, where she has had the opportunity to produce various television news projects and co-create a documentary on shrimp farming for PBS Frontline.

As a Masters in Journalism student at the University of British Columbia, DOXA Youth Connexions has provided me with a great opportunity to continue learning about the industry and to sharpen my shooting and editing skills. My film, Meet Patrick, chronicles a day in the life of a vendor, Patrick Doyle, who works for Vancouver’s street paper, Megaphone Magazine. The issue of homelessness and poverty in Vancouver is a familiar story and finding a unique angle can often be difficult. I chose to showcase Doyle, who is not homeless, but a low-income earner who sells Megaphone on the corner of Granville and West Hastings, an intersection where he once panhandled. Despite Doyle’s situation, he maintains a sense of humour that warms and a wisdom that can teach us all a thing or two about life.

My experience with DOXA has truly been a pleasure. The program was well organized and run by some of the most creative and patient people I have known. I and the other participants were given hands-on experience with story-boarding, shooting, and editing, and had the opportunity to meet with some of the DOXA filmmakers, including journalist Wendy Champagne, the filmmaker of BAS! Beyond the Red Light.

Krasnogorsk

22-year-old Nisha Platzer first became interested in making films at the age of 14. She is currently studying Communications (film, video, sound and intermedia) at Concordia University in Montreal.

Putting together an idea for 90 second film has been a challenge, but the process has been so enriching and the encouragement and support stupendous. For my short film, I chose to do a portrait of a music duo called Krasnogorsk. They are friends of mine from Halifax and are some of the most gifted musicians i have heard in a long time. They play a mix of Klezmer and Gypsy music and are made up of a violinist and a ukelele player. As the on board musicians for Via Rail they have had quite the month traveling and playing for people all over Canada. Originally I had an idea of weaving more of a narrative through my film but I’m pleased with the musical montage that it turned out to be instead. I think it captures the spontaneity of their music and their personalities.

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